Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Known as an uncommon disease at the beginning of the 20(th) century, lung cancer has been the most frequent cause of cancer-related deaths in males since the 1950s and in females in the last two decades. The aim of this study was to determine the lung cancer incidence in Erzurum; its clinical properties, cancer subtypes, and application phases; the relationships of tumors with parameters of cigarette smoking and nutrition; radiological properties of the tumors; and the methods of diagnosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study analyzed data from a prospective database. The study included the patients who applied in 2005 to the Chest Disease, Chest Surgery, Medical Oncology or Radiation Oncology section of Research Hospital, Faculty of Medicine, Ataturk University; the Erzurum Nihat Kitapçı Chest Diseases Hospital; or the Palandöken State Hospital and were diagnosed with lung cancer. A standard questionnaire was used to obtain information about the patients. The figures of the 2005 census issued by the State Institute of Statistics were used for incidence calculations. RESULTS: During the study period, 255 patients with a lung cancer diagnosis were accepted, 220 of whom were male (86.3%) and 35 were female (13.7%). The mean age of the patients was 63±1 years. The lung cancer incidence in Erzurum according to the data given by the hospitals that can diagnose lung cancer was determined to be 14.4/100.000. Lung cancer frequency increased with age, it was observed in males six times more frequently than females, and histopathologically non-small cell lung cancer and advanced phase lung cancer were more frequent. CONCLUSION: The lung cancer incidence for Erzurum was not different from that reported in other studies carried out both in the region and the whole country, and the lung cancer diagnosis was related to advanced age, male sexuality, active smoking and low socioeconomic state.